Door construction for heating boilers



Oct. 11, 1938. P, B KER 2,132,507"

DOOR CONSTRUCTION FOR HEATING BOILERS Filed Oct. 6, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Earl Baker Oct. 11, 1938. E. P. BAKER DOOR CONSTRUCTION FOR HEATING BOILERS Filed Oct. 6, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIII Patented Oct. 11 1938' -UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Earl P. Baker, Minneapolis,'lvlinn. Application October 6, 1934,,S erial No; 747,180

' 7 Claims.

My invention relates to heating boilers and particularly to the fire-door. and doorway constructiontherein. H j

In the usual small boiler for homes andother establishments requiring heating plants of relatively small capacity, no, special attempt has been.

made to provide a construction in connection with which the conventional fuel burning'equipment may be conveniently. and elfectiv,ely,incorporated. As a -result, considerable difficulty is encountered in. the. initial installation of such equipment and'in the subsequent inspection and repair thereof. r

An object of my inve tion is to provide asimple and practical construction adapted to facilitate the initial installation in heating boilers of fuel burning equipment ,and-toprovide, for subsequent convenient accessibility 5' to the installed equipment. v

Another object of the invention is to;. prov ide a novel self-closing fire door, constructed effec: 'tively to resist heat and adapted to be quickly and easily removed from the door casing.

With the foregoingand other objects in view, which will appear in'the'following description,

the invention resides in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described andclaimed.

In the'drawings, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a boiler embodying a form of my improved fire door construction; Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryperspective view of a boiler construction as in Fig. 1, the fire door and the ledge or lower member of the door casing being removed, as in practice, to admit of the ready installation of fuel burning apparatus; Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview in detail. of the casing ledge; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the fire door and adjacent portions of the door casing, the same being taken as on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4 illustrating the fire door in an open position; Fig. 6 is a vertical central sectional view of the structure shownin Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a vertical central sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 8 is a central horizontal sectional view of the fire'door,

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an embodiment of my 1nvention,.the boiler structure, fragmentarily shown, includes water jacket plates IO, N surrounding a combustion chamber 2. Sheathing the outer plates of the. water jacket is a covering l3 of insulating material, the same being encased ina jacket made up of panels l4 and corner strips I5.

frame.

Supporting the boiler proper is a channel iron base I6, the flanges ll, l8 thereof projecting inwardly from the upright web l9, the upper flange ll providing a rest upon which the boiler proper stands and the lower flange |8 providing a footing. adapted to bear upon the floor. At the front of the boiler structure, is a doorway which consistsof communicating openings intthe boiler proper and in the base It. The opening in the boiler proper is provided with a door casing including a plate-like header 20 and plate-like stiles 2| which bridge the space between the inner andouter plates H), II of the water jacket, said header 20 andstiles 2| having marginal portions projecting outwardly beyond the jacket panel, M at the front of the boiler. Intermediate the upper and lower extremities of the casing stiles 2| are U-shaped, guides, one thereof; indicated by the numeral 22, being clearly shown in Fig. 2. These guides 22, horizontally disposed, open toward the front of the door casing and are adapted to receive the ends of a separateledge plate 23. The front edges of the stiles 2|, at the upper portions of said stiles, are inclined, as shown, said edges together with the front edge of the header 20 lying in a plane sloping forwardly and downwardly from said header. This plane also includes'the front edge of the ledge plate 23 in the position of said plate in which it is applied to the guides 22 and wherein the rear edge of the plate abuts against limit stops 24 comprised by the inner end portions of'the guides 22. r

A self-closing, removable fire door 25 is provided for the door casing which, aswill now be understood, consists of the header 2|], stiles 2|,

and ledge plate 23. This fire door is constructed with a frame 26 angular in cross-section, said frame having aface flange 21 and a perimetrical flange 28 adapted to encompass the forwardly extending marginal portion of the door casing. Within the frame 26 of the door is a face plate 29, the same being welded at its edges, as at 30, to the inner face of the face flange 21 of said Lying against the inner face of said plate 29 is a panel? of asbestos or other suitable heat insulating material and lying against said panel 3| isHa back plate 32. The margin of the panel 3| overreaches and seats against the outeredgeof the header 20, the inclined edges of the stiles 2| and the outer edge of the'ledge plate 23in the closed. positionof .the door 25.

The back'plate 32 being smaller than the panel 3| is received within the door casing as best seen in Fig. 6. Nearthe corners of the fire door 25,

the plates 29, 32 and panel 3| are formed with registering bores for bolts 33 which secure the panel 3| and back plate 32 to the face plate 29. At the center of the fire door, the plates 29, 32 and the panel 3| are formed with registering openings, the opening in the panel being the largest and containing a window pane 34 of heat resisting glass, said pane being marginally framed at the opposite sides thereof by the plates 29 32. This window pane 34 affords a view into the fire chamber |2 of the boiler from the outside. Removably shielding the window pane 34 from both sides thereof are a pair of shutter plates 35, 36 both secured to a pintle 31 extending through the plates 29, 32 and revolubly mounted therein, the shutter 35 being swingable over the outer face of the front plate 29 and the shutter 35 being swingable, with said shutter 35, over the inner face of the back plate 32.

The fire door hinge includes a round rod '38 extending alongand welded, as at 39, to the lower side of the flange 28 at the top of the angle frame 26 and furtherincludes-an angle cleat 40 extending along the upper forward margin of the casing header 2!]. The flange 4| of said cleat rests on said header 2|] and is Welded thereto, as at 42, the other'flange 43 of said cleat occupying an upstanding position and together with said first flange 4| forming a reentrant angle in which'the hinge rod 38 is revolubly received, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

It is common practice to procure a boiler from one source and oil burning or other heating equipment of one type or another from a different source, and it is frequently more or less difficult to apply the selected equipment to the selected boiler, such difllculty residing chiefly in the trouble encountered in gaining access to the fire chamber for the purpose of appropriately lining the sameand/orlocating therein parts of the equipment necessarily contained inside of the boilerstructure.

In the use of my invention, a boiler, having the features of doorway construction, as shown in Fig. 2, may be installed by its sponsor, without re gard to the selected firing equipment or its sponsorship. With the boiler installed, the workmen equipping it with fuel burning apparatus may have convenient access to the fire chamber through the relatively large doorway leading thereinto, the door 25 and the ledge 23 being easily bodily removable from the door casing. After locating any bulky part of the firing apparatus within the fire chamber l2 and applying any suitable lining to said chamber such, for example, as a ceramic facing 44 (Fig. 6) and insulating sheath 45, the doorway is walled up with a suitable closure, as at 46, an opening, as at 41,

such as may be desired being left in said closure,

facing and sheath to receive any part of the ap-- paratus to be projected into the fire chamber from the outside. The closure wall 46 will exten-d up to the plane occupied by the lower face of the casing ledge 23 and said ledge will be put in place in its guides 22 as shown in Fig. 6. l 'he fire door 25, hung in place on its casing simply by guiding the hinge rod 38 into the angle of the cleat 4| normally remains closed by gravity, said door being readily removable from the casing by reversing the simple process of its application. Always self-closing by gravity, said door may be easily opened from without the boiler, by hand, or from within the boiler by pressure exceeding that of the outer atmosphere. Under conditions wherein suction is created within the boilenthe fire door 25 is drawn snugly against the door casing, the asbestos panel 3| effectively gasketing the door at the forward edges of the header 26, stiles 2| and ledge 23. In this connection, it is to be noted that the hinge member 38, although held against forward movement by the flange 53 of cleat 46, is free to slide rearwardly on the flange scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

' Having describedmy invention, what I claim as new anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a door construction for a heating boiler having. a doorway therein, a casing for said doorway including a header, stilesand a bottom memher, the outer edges of all thereof lying in a plane sloping outwardly and downwardly from said header, a self-closing door removably hinged to said casing, said door, including a frame, angular 'in cross-section, having aface flange and a perimetrical flange adapted to encompass the marginal portion of the casing, said door further ineluding a composite body consisting of an outer face plate, an intermediate panel of heat insulating material and an inner or back plate for said panel, the outer plate being marginally secured to said frame, means supported by the outer plate and securing said panel and backing plate thereto, the panel being adapted marginally to engage the outer edges of said casing'members in the closed position of the door, a hinge member on the casing and a complement al hinge member on the door frame, said first hinge member consisting of a cleat, angular in cross section, having one flange thereof secured to the casing header and the other upstanding therefrom, said second hinge member consisting of a cylindrical support secured to the upper reach of the door frame and rockably seated in the reentrant angle of said first hinge member.

2. In a door construction for a heating boiler having a doorway therein, a casing for said doorway including a header, stiles and a bottom member, the outer edges of all thereof lying in a common plane, a door hinged to said casing, said door including a frame, angular in cross-section, having aface flange and a perimetrical flange adapted to encompass the marginal portion of the casing, said door further including a composite body consisting of an outer face plate, an intermediate panel of heat insulating material and an inner or back plate for said panel, the outer plate being marginally secured to said frame, means supported by the outer plate and securing said panel andv back plate thereto, said panel beingadapted marginally to engage the outer edges of said casing members in the closed position; of the door/said face and back plates andsaid panel having registering openings therein, the opening in said panel being larger than the openings in said plates, and a window pane fitted in the opening in the panel and marginally engaged by said ea having a doorway therein, a casing for said door- 3. In a' door construction for a heating boiler I way including a header, stiles and a bottom memher, the outer edges of all thereoflying in a plane sloping outwardly and downwardly from, said header, a self-closing door removably hinged to said casing, said door having a perimetrical flange adapted to encompass the marginal portion of the casing in the closed position of the door, a hinge for said door comprising a hinge member secured to the header of the casing and a complemental hinge member secured tothe door flange at the upper side of the door, said first hinge member consisting of an angle cleat arranged with one of the flanges thereof in upstanding position, said second hinge member consisting of a cylindrical support adapted to be received in the reentrant angle of said cleat and pivotally caught behind the upstanding flange thereof.

' 4. In a door construction for a heating boiler having a doorway therein, a casing for said doorway extending outwardly from the boiler proper and including a header and stiles, a self-closing door removably hinged to said casing and adapted to engage the outer edges of said header and stiles in the closed position of the door, said door having a flange at the top thereof adapted to overlap the casing header and also having flanges at the sides thereof adapted to overlap said stiles, a hinge member extending along said header and consisting of an upstanding flange thereon, and a complemental hinge member extending along the lower side of the flange at the top of the door and between the flanges at the sides thereof, said latter hinge member consisting of a cylindrical support bearing on the header and rockably caught behind said flange in the angle between flange and header, the flanges at the sides of the door cooperating with the stiles of the door casing, in the closed position of the door and in positions thereof ajar, to prevent lateral movement of the door relative to said casing.

5. In a door construction for a heating boiler having a doorway therein, a casing for said doorway extending outwardly from the boiler proper and including a header, a self-closing door removably hinged to said casing, said door having a flange at the top thereof adapted to overlap the casing header, a hinge member extending along said header and consisting of an upstanding flange thereon, and a complemental hinge member extending along the door flange at the lower side thereof and consisting of a cylindrical support bearing on the header and rockably caught behind said flange in the angle between the flange and header.

6. In a door construction for a heating boiler having a doorway therein, a casing for said doorway extending outwardly from the boiler proper and including a header, stiles and a bottom member, said header, stiles and bottom member having outer edges lying in a plane slopingoutwardly and downwardly from said header, a self-closing door hinged to said casing, said door including a frame, angular in cross-section, having a face flange and a perimetrical flange adapted to encompass the marginal portion of the casing, said door further including a composite body consisting of an outer face plate, an intermediate panel of heat insulating material and an inner or back plate for said panel, the outer plate being marginally secured to said frame, means supported by the outer plate and securing said panel and back plate thereto, the panel being adapted marginally to engage the outer edges of said casing members in the closed position of the door, said back plate being adapted in such position of said door to be received freely within said casing, a supporting member depending from said perimetrical flange at the top of the door frame and bearing on theheader of the door casing for rocking movement to permit upward and downward hinging action of said door relative to said frame, said supporting member positioning the door in its closed position so that said back plate is held out of contact with said casing.

7. In a door construction for a heating boiler having a doorway therein, a casing for said doorway extending outwardly from the boiler proper and including a header, stiles and a bottom member, said header, stiles and bottom member having outer edges lying in a plane sloping outwardly and downwardly from said header, a door for said casing including a frame and a composite body consisting of an outer face plate, an intermediate panel of heat insulating material and an inner or back plate for said panel, the outer plate being marginally secured to said frame,

means supported by the outer plate and securing said panel and back plate thereto, said panel being adapted marginally to engage the outer edges of said casing members in the closed position of the door, said back plate being adapted to be received freely within said casing, and a hinge pivoting said door relative to said casing and positioning the door in'its closed position so that said back plate is held out of contact with the casing.

EARL P. BAKER. 

